ABRR NVWL Die Out
by KotoneJunan
Summary: Lie Ren was up early. That was new. An AU on what it could mean if two people bumped into each other earlier than in canon. General screwing with canon, swearing, Jaune being Jaune, Ren getting in over his head (as usual), and the ever manipulative Ozpin. RR Please?
1. Chapter 1

Uh. Hi. So, it's up on tumblr and stuff. RWBY AU.

Embers Never Will die out. (Grammar error intentional.)

* * *

"Guh." Lie Ren was up early. That was new.

And unwelcome.

Nora was still asleep.

That was new and appreciated.

Ren rolled up his sleeping bag and glanced around. The only one up at this insane hour was a blond working the coffee machine. His mind stuck on coffee, he packed the last of his things and made his way over to the blond.

"Here," The blond offered tentatively, when Ren failed to do more than stare blankly at the cup in his hands. "It looks like you need this more than I do." Ren had downed half the cup before he recalled his manners.

"Lie Ren," He introduced himself sheepishly. The blond, in lieu of a handshake, poured another cup of coffee for him. Ren decided he liked him.

"Jaune Arc. Pleasure to meet you." The newly named Jaune said with a smile, serving himself a cup and refilling Ren's. "They're serving pancakes right now, and I don't know about you, but I could use some food for the challenge ahead." Ren followed the blond out, watching him stop and pick up a plain sword and shield. Ren eyed it, a little surprised.

"It's been a while since I've seen a classic," He remarked, hands wrapped around the slowly cooling cup of coffee. Jaune gave another sheepish grin and shrug. Ren couldn't help but feel that the move was a little defensive.

"It was my great-Grandmother's," Jaune said wistfully. "I'm named after her." Ren ran through his history in his head. There was a famous J-Named hero in there somewhere.

"Joan of Arc." Ren was a little surprised. Last he'd heard, the family had been wiped out by the Witch last year. How did he manage to escape her radar? "That's a lot to live up to." Ren said, watching Jaune's shoulders tense.

"Yeah, it is." Jaune left the sentence as it was, picking up two plates and serving them both. "Six or eight?"

"Eight," Ren answered mildly, hunting down knives and forks.

Armed to the teeth with food and coffee, Ren settled down for an interrogation.

This was going to be _interesting._

* * *

Ren was right. It was interesting, in the '_Oh my fucking god there's a riot_' category. He'd never met a civilian so capable yet unskilled, or with such a tightly bound Aura.

_Well,_ Ren sulked to himself,_ Now I know why he's still alive. Not that I wanted to know._ At home, Aura bindings were only done to illegitimate children, or war criminals. To live _ten years_ without his Aura, to spend months and years recovering from even _minor injuries_ … Well, Jaune had his sympathy. Even minor skill took a ferocious amount of effort for Jaune to have, and Jaune's Aura bled and screamed for freedom, unbalancing the poor boy further.

Ren pulled the blond aside, startling Jaune slightly. Ren was starting to get a bit sick at the screaming Aura, so much so that he had to breathe hard to remove the wooziness from his system from just touching Jaune. Jaune of course misinterpreted it.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jaune asked gently, not quite touching him, but close. Ren shook his head.

"How can you let your Aura suffer like that?" Ren blurted finally. Jaune blinked and looked up at him.

"Gesundheit," Jaune said automatically. Ren stifled the smile that gave him.

"You don't know?" Ren asked, exasperated. Jaune frowned.

"I've been like this for as long as I can remember," Jaune reminded him. Ren almost screamed at him. How could he not realize? Damn it. Ren calmed down, promising himself something to kill later. "Is … this a bad thing?" Jaune asked hesitantly. Ren merely scowled at the question.

"I'll let you figure that one out on your own. Close your eyes." Ren said finally, resigned.

"Um … Okay?" Jaune obeyed, distantly confused. Ren's hand covered Jaune's eyes.

"_It is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death._" Ren murmured quietly, feeling Jaune's Aura press hard and forcefully against the bindings, emitting a bright white glow that startles Ren slightly. His own Aura wasn't nearly so strong. "_I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee._" The binding snapped, and Ren was forced to bend over, panting.

* * *

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, intrigued in spite of himself. First Signal's prodigy student, and now Flare's. Jaune was more like his ancestor than he knew. All he needed was a little more training and a push … Ozpin smiled, already composing a letter in his head to Rise Arc.

His grandmother would be proud.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Thanks to all of you who favorited and alerted this story!

* * *

Jaune was fidgeting nervously, a little worried. Jaune shook his head, focusing on Ozpin.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin's eyes focused on Jaune mildly, and the poor blond had to repress a shiver.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of 'teams'. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… _today_." Glynda took over. Jaune suppressed a hysterical thought. Oh good god, he hoped that he wouldn't end up with someone he didn't know. He was so worried, he almost missed the next line.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." Ozpin deadpanned. Jaune stared. That was a screwy way to become someone's partner. A glance at Ren made it clear that his new friend was equally unamused, though the copper-haired girl was beaming and squirming delightedly. _Psycho._Jaune pushed the uncharitable thought away. She could end up being his teammate. No bad thoughts!

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" Jaune swallowed his nervousness. _Yeah, tons._

Ren glanced over, and mildly smiled at Jaune. The smile seemed to calm him down, and the blond stopped fidgeting. Nora didn't.

* * *

Jaune curled up tightly, his shield brought to bear before him as he willed his new-found Aura to work. His shield glowed white, shattering several trees, and Jaune ended up on a large tree branch.

"Whew!" Jaune huffed, panting hard. "That wasn't too bad!"

* * *

Somewhere else, Ren was watching Nora soar above his head, chuckling. She never changed. Dusting his sleeves off to remove the small wood shavings, Ren headed in Jaune's general direction. Jaune had potential, and he wanted in on it.

* * *

Nora fired off Magnhild yet again, searching for her longtime best friend worriedly. Where was he? Grumbling to herself, she moved on. Just because Jaune was a cutie did not mean he was allowed to get off easy. (_Not that Nora blamed him. That blond's ass was to _die_ for!_)

"Ruby, is that you?" A girl said nearby. A sudden growl and then, "Nope." Nora sighed. It wasn't Ren, but at least she sounded fun!

* * *

_So mysterious … so calm … Plus she likes books! Then again, I'm not sure I'd be able to hold a conversation with her… Ugh! Okay, think … Oops. Time's up for thinking._ Ruby skidded to a stop directly in front of Blake. She left her gaze downwards. Blake eyed her, amused.

"Afraid to pair with me?" Blake teased, gently. Ruby twiddled her fingers together.

"Afraid you won't want to." Ruby answered honestly. Blake smiled, kneeling down. What a sweet girl.

"Don't worry. As long as we work together, we should be fine." Ruby looked up sheepishly, meeting Blake's eyes with a small smile.

* * *

Weiss filed her nails, waiting as Pyrrha skidded to a stop, face-planting into the dirt.

"You're late," Weiss told her mildly. Pyrrha made a face.

"I wasn't aware I had an appointment." Pyrrha answered primly, the effect somewhat ruined by the dirt on her cheek. Weiss grinned at her only friend, wiping the dirt away affectionately.

"C'mon cereal mascot, let's blow this out of the water."

* * *

Jaune walked slowly, his breathing soft and wary. Blue eyes took in the scenery, and he frowned. He felt like there was someone there. A black shape rose behind him, and it lunged at his back just as he turned. Jaune flung himself out of the way, bringing his sword out in front of him. With a small scowl, Jaune began to fight them off. As another, equally large white shape rushed at his unprotected back, a dark pink blur hit the massive head, redirecting it to the side and setting it to crash into its brethren.

"Ren!" Jaune greeted happily, knowing without seeing that it was the generally stoic boy behind him. "Didn't think you'd be stopping by so early!" Ren chuckled, back to back with his teammate.

"Sorry. You know traffic can be a trouble."

* * *

Glynda shook her head.

"Why someone so capable chose Jaune as a partner I don't understand. I don't care what that boy's transcripts say, he is just not ready for this level of conflict!" Ozpin merely sighed, swallowing another mouthful of coffee.

"Perhaps he saw potential you didn't see," Ozpin said frankly. "It wouldn't be the first time." Glynda scowled. She'd learned to trust his judgement, but that didn't mean she liked it.

"If you say so."

* * *

"I believe we are lost," Pyrrha declared solemnly to her friend. Weiss gave a groan, flopping into the grass.

"Yeah, I know. Where do we go from here?" Weiss asked her companion helplessly. Pyrrha merely shrugged.

"Climb to higher ground and find a clearing, I suppose."

* * *

Ren and Jaune entered the clearing, and Ren eyed the chess pieces. Jaune was circling around, lips pressed into a firm, yet thoughtful frown.

"Shouldn't we just take one and go?" Ren asked quietly. Jaune shook his head, a bit scandalized.

"That'd be okay if it was just the same color, but they obviously have meaning!" Jaune said, frowning. "He said that they'd regard our standing through this."

"What do they mean then?" Blake and Ruby stepped into the clearing, Ruby eyeing him and then the chess pieces. "Um … Jaune, this is Blake. Blake, this is Jaune and his friend." Jaune shook Blake's hand politely.

"Hey. This is Ren. Ren, this is Ruby and Blake." Ren took Ruby's hand and shook it firmly, before shaking Blake's as well.

"Nice to meet you," Ren greeted.

"You were saying about chess pieces?" Blake reminded him. Jaune returned his attention to them.

"Right. Each piece has it's own history," Jaune explained, fingers not quite touching them. "There are only twenty-four pedestals here, see?" Jaune indicated the stone circles. "Eight are already taken, so we can guess that there are at least sixteen people who've passed." Jaune stopped at a black pawn. "Pawns have the least interesting interpretation of the entire set. They're cannon fodder, sometimes literally. It's only with hard work that they get anywhere, and it usually ends in failure." Jaune smiled sheepishly. "For them, color doesn't matter."

"Bishops. They represent religion, judgment, and ritual. Black Bishops are considered all that is wrong with religion and prejudice. Some of the worst were called necromancers. White Bishops are considered healers, protectors, and guardians."

"Knights, or Mounts, represent warriors and fighters. Typically, Black Knights are considered slaughterers and monsters of the highest caliber, while White Knights were the guardians of human naivety."

"Rooks or Castles, are guardians and protectors. Their job is to defend. Black Rooks are considered hoarders, thieves of a treasure not theirs and protectors of monsters. White Rooks are normally sheltering walls."

"There aren't any Black Rooks, Knights, or Bishops left," Jaune remarked, picking up a White Rook. "I'd go for a Rook."

"Not a Knight?" Ruby asked finally. Jaune's shoulders tensed.

"Let me tell you this;" Jaune's voice was hollow, drawing startled attention to him. "Heroes usually end up getting themselves killed."


	3. Chapter 3

I can't write fight scenes. Damn.

* * *

Ruby trailed after Jaune, wondering what he meant by 'heroes'. She knew that people called knights heroes, more often than not, but he sounded so hollow. Ren was frowning, and so was Blake; obviously they both understood what he meant, though Ren seemed much more upset than Blake. Ruby however, scampered up to draw abreast of Jaune, and in her most chipper voice, asked what the symbol meant.

"I mean, mine is just a rose in bloom. I used to have a cross, but my uncle Qrow decided that I was good enough to let me use my mother's emblem after he tested me! So, what does yours mean?" Ruby asked, warm and happy. Jaune looked amused. Damn, he'd seen through her, Ruby realized, though he obliged.

"They're the symbol of the moons. Every three hundred years, the moons will preform a dual eclipse. My ancestors had won their first war in the time the moons overlapped. The reigning monarch gave us our family name that night." Blake gave a low whistle, while both Ren and Ruby looked on blankly.

"Eh?" Ruby said finally. Blake chuckled at Ruby's cluelessness.

"Basically, his family won a war in less than eight minutes." Ruby's eyes grew round, and Ren looked impressed. The quartet passed a cave with weird markings on it, re-entering the forest.

"Wow . . . What about you?" Ruby asked Ren happily. Ren smiled dryly at her comment.

"The family symbol of the Lotus came from Hua Mulan," Ren explained quietly. "Five thousand years ago in my homeland, women didn't fight in wars. She risked treason to fight in the place of her father, who'd become very ill. In the end, she managed to end the reign of the invaders and married Lie Shang." Ren smiled at them again. "Our family's been a predominately male line since." Everyone glanced at Blake, and her smile grew a little bitter.

"I'm half-Faunus," Blake said bitterly. "My people are given a universal symbol unless we marry into status." They stayed silent for a moment out of quiet respect, before moving on.

* * *

"You're goddamned kidding." Jaune declared at the sight of the massive canyon. "What kind of crazy person came up with a temple in the middle of a canyon?!" Ren sneezed. "Gesundheit," Jaune answered absently. Ren nodded, eyes watering slightly with the force of the sneeze.

"Thanks." Ren mumbled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. All three of them were startled out of their thoughts by a ear-splitting shriek.

"Ursa!" Blake informed them hastily, already reaching for her weapons. "It looks like they're in packs!"

Ruby was in the air, firing round after round into the heavy concentration, desperately searching for the pack leader. It took her way longer than it should have, but she finally caught sight of a larger skull-like head, the horns curling up into razor-sharp points.

"The leader's on the fringes," She reported to Jaune, who blew a strand of hair out of his face, nodding at her. Jaune listened to a hasty instruction from Ren and pushed as much Aura into his sword as possible, bringing it down in a sharp slash. The Aura left the blade, slicing the ten Ursae directly before it and blasting the others backwards. Ruby gave a loud whoop, and Ren was laughing somewhere out of sight. Blake skidded back to his side, both hands blocking the strike from the pack leader.

"Good one," Blake complimented, moving forward again to slice a mother Ursa to ribbons.

* * *

Ozpin offered Glynda a half-smirk when the four of them trooped in, looking exhausted and worn out. She glared at him, warning him to not push it. Chuckling, he returned to his cup of coffee.

* * *

"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark." The screen displays the four as they stand there impassively. "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL, led by . . . Cardin Winchester!" Jaune frowned lightly at the sight of them, and the rest of his companions did as well, recalling Jaune's little 'lesson' on chess pieces and their history.

"Nora Valkyrie, Yang Xiao Long, Weiss Schnee, and Pyrrha Nikos. You four retreived the white knight pieces. From this day foward, you will work together as Team NVWL, led by . . . Pyrrha Nikos!" Nora bounced up and down, while Yang looked a little relieved. They stepped offstage, and Ozpin began calling names for the final time.

"Lie Ren, Blake Belladonna, Jaune Arc, and Ruby Rose. You four selected the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team ABRR, led by . . . Jaune Arc!" Jaune stared disbelievingly, while Ren laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Good job," Ren told his friend quietly. Jaune smiled a little brighter, stood a little straighter.

"I'm proud of you young man," Ozpin said firmly.

* * *

Ren eyed Jaune as the blond rather absently flitted around, looking both worried and nervous.

"Clock . . . clock . . . Damnit where's my alarm clock . . ." Jaune fretted quietly, digging around in the sparse set of bags. Ren leaned against the wall, smiling wryly as his partner flitted from spot to spot, moving the books here and the clocks _there _and he was obviously panicking. Ren eyed the thick red curtain as it hung in the middle of the room, separating the boys from the girls, who were also setting up their room. Jaune set his clock up, beaming. "There! Now we can get ready to sleep!" Jaune sounded pleased. Ren recalled the bunny slippers and snorted. Jaune heard and made a face at him.

"Oh ha ha, really funny." Jaune deadpanned, already changing into a soft blue t-shirt, tugging off his jeans. Ren was a little disappointed to see that they were only a dark blue. He'd expected little bunny rabbits.

"What, no bunny rabbits?" Ren said flatly. He regretted saying it almost a second later, reminding himself that Jaune would likely freak out over the almost homosexual undertones. Gay Ren was, gay Jaune was not. It was only when Jaune gave an amused snort that Ren relaxed slightly.

"I'll remember to wear them tomorrow," Jaune snarked dryly at Ren, who felt a dull heat creep up his neck. Oh good god, now he'd be imagining Jaune in his underwear all night. Jaune inched closer, placing a hand on his forehead. "You seem a little warm," Jaune said finally, fingers trailing down to press against Ren's throat. After a moment, Jaune pulled his hand away. "You want some water?" Jaune asked quietly. Ren nodded, the heat in his face slowly subsiding. "Let me get some." Jaune stood near the end of the curtain and pulled it back slightly. "You two got an alarm clock?" Jaune asked seriously. After two affirmatives, Jaune gave a faint hum. "All right then, get to bed. We've got to get up early so we can make it to class on time." As soon as Jaune was gone, Ren flopped into bed, hugging the first pillow he could get his hands on.

"Oh fuck," Ren whispered to himself. "You're not your ancestor Ren. You can't just fall in love like that." When Jaune re-entered, the blond didn't say anything for a long moment, before he gave an amused laugh.

"I suppose you're beat, huh?" Jaune asked Ren, who didn't move, eyes closed and breathing slow. A moment later, Ren heard a dull clunk of glass on wood and the feel of a warm blanket laying itself over his body. "Goodnight Ren," Jaune told him warmly, before climbing into his own and shutting off the light. Ren tried not to hyperventilate.

_I'm fucking doomed._


	4. Chapter 4

_So, I got two (er, I think it's three or four now) requests to tone down the romance. Much obliged, I'll take care not to overwhelm you guys. This will be the last of any real 'romance' for a while._

_Love, KJ_

* * *

Jaune had them up early the next morning, much to Ren's dismay. He'd spent his night having a _spectacularly_ naughty dream of his team leader and bunny rabbits, and he hadn't slept very well at all. He just was glad he was a quiet sleeper. As they dressed, Ren's cheeks burned faintly as he caught sight of the pale blue boxers, decorated in (you guessed it) bunny rabbits. Damn rabbits had made his dreams worse. Ren flushed pink when Jaune glanced at him, then at his underwear and grinned in an almost tongue-in-cheek manner, topping it with a blown kiss. Ren was even redder at that action, and Blake was also pink, having caught Jaune when he performed that flirtatious action. Ruby, having not been looking at Jaune, snickered at them when she turned around.

"Very subtle," Ren grumbled quietly, as Jaune and Ruby laughed at them. As they prepped to go, a loud knock on the door drew all four's attention to it. Blake opened the door, talking briefly to whoever was on the other side.

"It's for you," Blake deadpanned to Jaune. A bubbly blond girl bounced up, a large box in hand.

"I'm looking for a Jaune - Rawr," The blond declared, eyes on Jaune. "Hello handsome," The girl purred, making Jaune shift uncomfortably. Blake took a deliberate step forward, and the girl recalled her manners. "Right, here's the thing I'm supposed to give you. It is _heavy_!" She dumped a large package in his hands and smiled. "Bye handsome!" Jaune's cheeks were red as he watched her bounce away, giggling under her breath.

"What the hell is this?" Ren sighed. Jaune looked it over, but the nondescript package was exactly that - unremarkable.

"Well whatever it is, it's going to have to wait." Jaune said crisply. "We've got work to do." Ruby gave the large package a longing look, the action mirrored by both Blake and Ren, before the quartet tromped out of the room, Jaune locking it behind them and handing Ren the key. "You lose it, we all strangle you." Ren muffled a laugh behind a hand, an action mirrored by Blake and Ruby behind them.

* * *

"But I just call them . . . Prey!" Jaune, the designated note-taker of the group, gave them all a glare when they tried to goof off, Ruby in particular. A scribbled note solved the problem. As much as Jaune wanted to sleep, he really had to keep up the good behavior, considering his eh, _special situation_. And Ruby was in a 'testing phase' to see if certain students could be allowed early enrollment.

_You're the youngest student here. No. _Ruby pouted, but paid attention, just as Professor Port asked his next question.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the _embodiment_ of these _traits_?" There was silence for a moment, none of them having heard except for Blake, and reluctantly, the teacher sighs. "Well, at least you're all humble, I suppose." His eyes cast around and landed on Jaune, the blond still finishing up his notes. "You there! Arc!" He boomed, making all of them jump. "You look like a fine Hunter in training!"

At the professor's eager waving, Jaune made his reluctant way down, picking his shield up and removing his blade. "Choosing to fight with your uniform on, eh?" Port chortled. "Well I wish you luck!" Port swung his battleaxe, cracking open the lock and revealing a Boarbatusk. Jaune's eyes swept over it, and he bit his lip. There was armor everywhere except underneath! As it ran towards him, Jaune made a split-second decision, flipping his shield around so the broad end met the floor, kneeling behind it. The trick had worked against a King Taijitu and a fair number of Ursae. Pressing his Aura into his shield, Jaune waited. Some of the kids were snickering. His teammates, looked away.

The light was bright enough to blind, hitting with a dazzling flash and snap. Everyone had to blink for a moment, startled, before seeing the charred lump of flesh that was the Boarbatusk. Professor Port gave a slight cough, blinking away spots.

"Well . . . Impressive young man, very impressive," The dazed teacher said to him. "It truly seems that we are in the presence of a true Hunter in training! That was a truly spectacular display there young man. Well, that's all for today, so be sure to complete your assigned reading!" As they packed to go, Jaune caught the hateful gaze of the red-headed teenager.

* * *

Outside, Jaune waited for his team, leaning against the wall absently. Any female onlooker in that class couldn't deny that well, Jaune was kinda _attractive_ now, even with that ridiculous outfit he'd worn two nights ago. No woman wanted a weak man. Their hopes were dashed when Jaune stood up properly and greeted the girls (and the other hot boy), waving them onward.

"Alright, let's go see what's in that box." Jaune said, grinning. At the enthusiastic agreements, Jaune laughed and led his companions forward.

* * *

Jaune felt like crying. Or laughing, either one was fine. Ruby looked thrilled, Blake looked blank, and Ren was politely confused.

"It's a book," Blake deadpanned. Jaune huffed a laugh.

"It's not just any book Blake. It's my Rezervă din familială," Jaune explained reverently, touching the two crescent moons. "You'd call them the book of the family. Libri familiae," Jaune added at their uncomprehending looks. Both Ren and Blake still looked baffled. "It's an ancestor scroll," Jaune offered to Ren, whose eyes lit up in recognition at last. Blake still looked confused, and all of them realized her half-Fauna heritage had caught up to her. "It's like fire tales, only it applies to training." Finally, Blake's eyes glowed with recognition, and she too observed it with a great deal more respect than before.

"It must be old," Blake observed, eyeing the onionskin-thin paper with a odd, reserved look that could almost be called jealousy. Jaune's voice was reverent and soft.

"It's well over nine hundred years old. Books as old as this one are held together with Dust ink and treated wood ropes." Jaune smiled wistfully, his finger running down the spine of it. "I never thought that I would earn the right to learn from her." There was a painful smile there, a bitter regret that none of them could (or wanted) to identify. "Looks like we'll be reserving a training room for the year," Jaune said finally, setting the heavy book on his night table and picking up the largest of the other four boxes. Peeling it open, Jaune was greeted with a small little gift of a crystal rabbit.

"_Pfft._" Ren buried his mouth under his hands, while both Blake and Ruby howled with laughter. Jaune's ears were tinted pink, and he glared half-heartedly at them all.

"Oh shut up." There was another obnoxious knock on the door, and a different messenger came in, bearing three heavy boxes. Ren, Blake, and Ruby each grabbed one, thanked him, and gave him a generous tip. "Looks like Christmas came a full nine months early," Jaune quipped, as they swapped boxes until they had the right ones. Moving to the next box, Jaune merely snapped the ribbon-covered lid open. It was a frail necklace, a silver chain holding the Arc family symbol on it. The last two held a pair of worn gloves and a signet ring. Ren eyed the last gift, as Jaune opened the envelope that came with the package.

* * *

_Dear Jaune,_

_Congratulations. You've made it into the ranks of Beacon's finest. I don't know when you'll get this, whether it's a year from when you enter school or the day you manage to impress Ozpin. It's not easy to gain such recognition from such a man. He'll likely tell you he's made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on the planet, but those lessons have taught him very, very well Jaune._

_I'm proud of you. It's been a long time since this book has been in the hands of an a born Arc. As great a man as your father and your grandfather was, our family book never considered them controlled enough to wield Joan's ultimate weapon. Abide by this book, and one day, you'll not only match your namesake, but step out of the shadow she cast over our family so many years ago._

_Love (and lots of luck),_

_Your ever affectionate grandmother_

Ren waited politely with the girls as Jaune tried to recover his senses, his tears sliding down his cheeks like rain. But he was smiling, smiling so bright that it physically felt like a blow.

"She said she's proud of me," Jaune said softly, not bothering to wipe his tears away. "She's never said that before."

* * *

Rezervă din familială - Book of the family

Libri familiae - Same as above.


	5. Chapter 5

_A little focus on the other team this time around. Not much though_

* * *

The rest of the team opened their packages on Jaune's bed, much to their leader's unamused irritation. It was, like Jaune's things from home, something sent by their families. Ruby's father had gotten a little crystal Beowolf for her and a book from her 'Uncle' Qrow on her fighting style. She had squealed, and bounced around with it for a while. Ren had received his ancestor scroll, much to his pleasure, and two crystal snakes. Ren had glared at his team when they snickered, having been filled in on the incident during Initiation from Jaune. Blake had been surprised to receive a package at all. For her, it held a feline crystal and a collection of her family tales that she held tightly to her chest. After the packages were opened and the last bits of paper confetti put away, everyone headed to bed, reverently setting their family heirlooms away gently.

* * *

Nora was miffed. Not only had she barely even seen Ren, She hadn't even managed to steal one of his pancakes yesterday! That thought in mind, she roused her teammates and marched her way towards the cafeteria. She was taking one of his pancakes if it killed her.

"You!" Nora declared, finger pointed directly at Ren's nose. Ren merely raised an eyebrow, calmly sipping his coffee while the rest of his team ate breakfast and otherwise ignored her. "You didn't even say hello! Or let me have a pancake! Or even give me a hug!" Ren smiled faintly, scooting to the side. She took the offered seat and plate of pancakes, recognizing his universal truce symbol. Ren never gave up pancakes without a fight. Unless they were awful. But they were good pancakes, so all was right with the world.

"Hello Nora," Ren greeted warmly, kissing the top of her head while she beamed up at him, pleased. "Everyone, this is my friend, Nora Valkyrie. Nora, this is Jaune -" The cute blond smiled at her, "Blake -" The black-haired girl merely tilted her head, "And Ruby."

"Heya!" Ruby said happily, opening the entire syrup container with a sneaky look at her team leader. About to dump the whole mess on her plate, a tan hand took it, screwed the lid back on, and handed it back. "Aww," Ruby pouted, but obediently poured her allotted amount of syrup while Jaune gave her a look.

Nora grinned. "They're such sourpusses, aren't they?" Nora said cheerfully. "They don't appreciate the power of sugar!" Ruby grinned manically, raising a fist to bump against Nora's upraised one, saluting her happily.

"Preaching to the choir!" Ruby chirped. The rest of the team gave a groan, heads falling to the table (or in Jaune's case, his hand.)

"Oh good god no." Jaune grumbled. "Just what we need."

"Nora?" A calm, almost classical voice called out, and Pyrrha stepped over to their table. "There you are. I hope she isn't being a bother." All of them shook their heads.

"Not at all," Blake said, smiling faintly. "I'm sure Ruby will be glad to have another friend that she can relate to." Pyrrha nodded, before focusing on the object of her attentions.

"You . . . Are Jaune Arc, correct?" Pyrrha said finally. Jaune gave a half-smile and nod of acknowledgement.

"Yes, that's me." Pyrrha gave him a small smile.

"I was impressed with your ability to use Aura in class yesterday. Can I ask how you came about such a use?" Pyrrha asked, sitting down directly in front of him.

"Well . . ." The rest of Pyrrha's team tromped up and engaged their respective teammates into a conversation until the bell rang to send the students off to classes.

* * *

"Aura, the manifestation of our souls, is the most precious thing to us." Professor Eneko said, smiling warmly. "In this class, you will learn practical application. Team leaders, select a member to collect four of the Aura Gauge spheres here, if you will." Jaune nodded at Blake and the half-Fauna teenager waited in line behind another Faunus girl and a blue haired boy from CRDL. The spheres were collected in short order and handed out to their respective roommates. "These spheres are made of untainted Dust," He explained, showing them the final sphere he had left. "Now, these are quite cheap, so don't worry if you break it. In fact, that's your job today. The faster you manage to break the crystal, the higher-level class you'll be in. Ready?" He glanced around the class, seeing expectant, eager faces in front of him. "Go!" As one, the students poured their Aura into the crystals, making them change color rapidly.

eight minutes and thirty-seven seconds later, a girl broke her crystal, the smooth stone cracking in half.

Twenty-three seconds later, Jaune's crystal shattered outward in a peal of ringing glass and a brilliant light.

Half a minute behind, Yang, Cardin, Ren, and Lark broke their crystals at the same time. Yang's crystal spontaneously combusted, Cardin's cracked into four, Ren's disappeared in a flash of light, and Lark's dissolved into the air.

Nearly forty seconds after, Blake, Ruby, Weiss, Pyrrha, Velvet, and Nora all managed to break theirs. Like Ren's, Blake's disappeared in a flash of light. Ruby's crystal imploded, Weiss's shattered from the inside as if frozen, Pyrrha's burst into red flames, Nora's disappeared in a flash of lightning, and Velvet's turned to wood.

The rest of the students broke their crystals somewhere within the fifteen to twenty minute range. No two broke the same way. After a long moment, the man hummed.

"Well, that took less time than I expected. We'll have a powerful set of students this year." He said, smirking. "Now, sit down while I class you all out." He hummed, pointing his finger at the unknown girl, Jaune, Yang, Cardin, Lark, and Ren. "You all managed to destroy your crystal in under ten minutes. You'll be assigned to third-level mastery classes with Professor Ozpin." The students burst into murmurs and jealous mutters. He pointed to the other girls. "You all managed after the ten minute mark. You will go to second level mastery classes, presided by Missus Goodwitch. The rest of you did not manage far enough to advance. You all get me." Some grumbling, but the students settled down.

* * *

"This is bulls-" Yang cut off, at the sight of her little sister. "Um, totally screwed up," Yang finished, even as Ruby raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yang?" Ruby deadpanned.

"Yes, little sister?" Yang answered.

"I've heard it all before." Ren chuckled, as did everyone else as Yang went into overprotective sister mode #3.

"My poor baby sister!" Yang declared, squishing her tight. "I'll have to take good care of you!" Ruby flailed desperately, and in the commotion, none of them noticed Weiss leave, her eyes burning with anger and shame.

* * *

Weiss was angry. No, scratch that, she was furious. How on earth could two obviously not powerful people end up in the top classes, while she remained second? She'd been taught not to accept failure, and second best was certainly failure! She'd sent that red-headed little brat off in tears when she'd asked about why she was so upset, and frankly didn't feel ashamed at all. The quiet footsteps made her look up at one of the others that had surpassed her.

"I thought I'd find you here," Blake remarked, sitting down. "You must be angry, after all not getting first was probably not something you're used to." Blake leaned back, observing the stars as Weiss sputtered. "I'm sure it's a pain, always trying to be the best and never quite measuring up to your family's standards," Blake mused to Weiss aloud. That shocked her into speaking. How dare she!

"I measure up perfectly, thank you!" Weiss said indignantly. Blake hummed mildly.

"I don't think so. You say that, but your eyes tell me a different story." Suddenly, Blake was sitting upright, her eyes boring directly into Weiss's. "I don't know what they did to you to make you act the way you do, but I can most certainly tell you that it wasn't only rude, but absolutely cruel, what you did to my partner earlier. She's young, but she's powerful. You can't blame her for having power." Blake took out a small shovel, offering out to Weiss, who didn't touch it.

"This here, I take with me everywhere. It reminds me of all the people that I've buried, and all the things I could and have lost. But I can move past my restraints, now that I have Ruby, and now I'll use it to bury her enemies. Yours though," Blake tapped Weiss's family symbol. "Yours isn't a memory, or a shovel, or even a lover. Yours is what you were born into. You're a falcon, trapped in a songbird's cage." Weiss didn't answer her, eyes wide with shock. She was a total stranger! She knew nothing! She couldn't know what haunted her!

"You don't know anything," Weiss said, voice shaking. Blake shook her head sadly.

"_Oh little falcon, chirp just a little for me_," Blake recited, making the young heiress's blood chill. "_We'll make you a songbird, and you'll never be free._" Blake turned to leave, head tilted in her direction. "_Twitter and chirp, just once more_." Blake walked away, leaving the poem unfinished. It was a silent moment before the final line was spoken.

"_And while you are singing, we'll close up the door,_" Weiss whispered into the silence.

It couldn't be. Weiss sniffled, falling to her knees as the horrible truth hit her, a hand reaching to touch the inked lines on her back.

_He promised not to cage another. He'd promised._

* * *

_Uncle promised._

* * *

'Oh Little Falcon' is not a real poem, just saying. I made it up for the purposes of this story


	6. Chapter 6

_See the end of the chapter for Author's Notes_

_Also, warning for NORA!_

* * *

Pyrrha was worried. Weiss had been worryingly silent after her talk to Blake. Since they had spoken, Weiss had said less than five words to her team since last night. Yang had kept a respectful distance, not quite sure how to handle her strange mood, and so had the young Amazon. Nora, however, was far less considerate, keeping close tabs on Weiss much like Yang did with Ruby.

* * *

"Why do you insist on following me?" Weiss demanded softly, her voice a bare whisper. She felt shattered, drained of even mild emotion, and Nora was too high maintenance for her to handle right now. The bubbly copper-haired girl smiled brighter, sitting next to Weiss on the rooftop.

"I'm waiting for when you feel ready to talk," Nora admitted, her voice softer than her typical migraine-inducing chatter. "I can't guarantee that I'll understand a single bit of what you're going though, but I want to be there when you are ready to talk." Weiss gave a soft, bittersweet laugh at her reply. Nora noted how much like music that sounded like.

"This was how you became friends with Lie Ren, wasn't it?" Weiss said, drawing her knees to her chest tiredly, her voice bitter and cold. "Just smile and nod, I'm not listening to you?" Weiss gave a sob, head falling into her knees. Nora rubbed Weiss's back slowly, attempting to press soothing circles into her. It was a testament to how utterly broken she was that she didn't protest the comfort, instead leaning into it.

"H-have you ever wanted to leave all you were behind?" Weiss asked, curling tighter. "Felt so ashamed that you just wished you had never been born?" Weiss sniffled a bit, her lady-like makeup smearing as Nora fetched her hankie and dabbed gently at the running smears of mascara. Weiss wished for a moment that her parents had cared to do the same. "I **hate** them!" Nora's eyes grew wide as she settled in to hear what her teammate had held within her as the lump in her stomach quivered. _This was going to be bad._

* * *

"Ow!" Jaune tripped over his feet. Again. Ruby, off refilling her bullet casings in the corner, giggled at Jaune's clumsiness yet again. How someone so capable in the battlefield was such a klutz off of it, she'd never understand. He was being assisted by Ren, who tried (and failed) to keep a straight face. "I'm sorry," Jaune complained, not looking even faintly embarrassed. "I'm not good at fighting when I'm not in danger!" Jaune admitted, flinging his hands in the air.

"A lot of us are like that," Ren said mildly, picking up Jaune's family book. "That also explains the balance tips in the beginning." Everyone snickered, even Jaune. The soft buzz of work resumed, as Ren and Jaune returned to the book. Ruby returned to filling up her bullet casings with unrefined Dust grains, slowly measuring them out one at at time while Blake read her tips on better quality casings out loud from the paper she had researched.

"How DARE you!" Everyone looked up as the doors slammed open, revealing one sparking Nora Valkyrie. Ren gently tugged Jaune out of the way, used to her rages, eyes on the petite woman as she marched directly up to Blake. Ruby had retreated, in case Nora tried to used the unrefined Dust for anything. Baleful teal eyes turned to the young black-haired woman, who looked up from her book.

"How dare you remind her of those . . . Those monsters!" Nora shrieked, distracting Ruby fully from her work. Nora went on this vein for several more minutes until finally, Blake held up a hand.

"She acknowledges that they are monsters?" Blake asked frankly. Off guard, Nora nods. "And she's willing to admit they are not the best?" Blake received another nod, and the black-haired woman blew out a breath of relief. "Then I am willing to apologize. For what it's worth, I didn't think she would react so badly. It tells me a lot of things, and none of them are good. I'm sorry for scaring you, and I'll apologize to Weiss this afternoon." Nora collected herself and glared fiercely at Blake, raising a finger to poke at her forehead.

"Don't." Poke. "Ever." Poke. "Do." Poke. "That." Poke. "Again!" Poke, poke. Nora, satisfied with her task, squiggled her way towards Ren's side, giving him a quick hug, something that was almost absentmindedly returned. She smiled at him tremulously, before she collected herself and made her halfhearted bounce out the door.

* * *

When she was gone, Jaune walked up to her. Blake tensed. Here it was, the judgement, the demands to -

"I'm not going to ask," Jaune said hastily, when Blake looked at him skeptically. "I just want you to know, it's okay to keep your secret. Heaven knows I have plenty of my own," Jaune said, sheepish. Blake couldn't believe that. Jaune didn't have secrets. He had a terrible poker face. "But if you want to talk, you know any of us are here for you, okay?" Jaune asked her that, and she nodded, smiling shyly.

"Thank you." Blake was soft and heartfelt in her answer. Jaune smiled at her, before returning to Ren, who was reading through the book.

"Your family has a history of bad balance," Ren announced suddenly to Jaune, drawing grins from the other two girls and breaking the dark ice over them.

"And motion sickness, and air sickness, and hemophilia," Jaune agreed tiredly. "If there's a disease, we've had it." Blake's eyes met Ruby's, and it wasn't out of humor. He was clearly referring to something very dangerous in his family line. It also explained why they were so deadly. Such power only came from suffering.

* * *

Ozpin was having a bad day. Not that the classes were bad, but the kids . . . Well, it was a good thing that he at least had young Mr. Arc to mediate the arguing between Miss Xiao Long and Miss Niflhiem. He hadn't had that last class. He could swear that there were still scorch marks on the ceiling.

"Um, girls," Jaune tried yet again to desperately keep them from destroying the room, his hands on their shoulders as he pushed them apart. "I hate to break it to you -"

"But you're being annoying," Ren finished for him, as Jaune spun around. The girls turned to glare at him almost instantly.

"That was not what I was going to say!" Jaune sputtered, while Lark and Cardin snorted from Jaune's left while the other students in the back giggled.

"Everyone else is thinking it," Lark drawled, not even looking up from his notes. "You're just too nice a dude to say it." Cardin snickered under his breath as both girls rounded on Lark. Ozpin was about to intervene when Ren caught his eye, pointing directly at Jaune, smiling rather slyly. So he, in pure interest, let it lie until finally, Jaune lost his rather impressive temper.

"That's _enough!_" Jaune yelled, flinging his hands and forcing both girls into their seats, eliciting startled yelps from all the students but his partner. "Neither of you are the strongest! If you haven't noticed, the both of you are _students_! I do not see you up there teaching!" With an angry huff, Jaune flopped into a seat before recalling his manners and shrinking like a pink, highly embarrassed clam into his seat. "Sorry professor." Jaune squeaked, blushing. Ozpin merely chuckled, shaking his head.

"There's nothing to be ashamed about, Mr. Arc." He turned his stern attention to the girls. "And girls. I expect you will pay more attention from now on." Ozpin turned to the board, neatly writing out a list of techniques. "These are high-level Aura techniques. All of you here, with the exception of Miss Xiao Long and Miss Niflheim, have your partners in the room with you. As such, I will pair you up separately, and you will pick a technique and preform it." He began in the back, pairing up students quickly. "Miss Nifleheim, you will pair with Mr. Winchester. Mr. Lark, you will pair up with Mr. Lie. And Miss Xiao Long, your partner will be me." Everyone turned instantly to Jaune, blank stares on their faces. "Ah yes, Mr. Arc will be preforming the last action on his own due to his natural healing while I guide you through the second to last, which prepares you for the last step. When I say, the first person selected will move clockwise, while the other moves counterclockwise. Only one person will be in the last set, and I will remain stationary. Ready?" The teens assembled into a loose circle, and glanced at their folded paper. "Begin!"

* * *

Weiss blew a breath out, the little bullet of air hitting Ruby in the face as she tried to keep her sphere together. They, at Professor Goodwitch's instruction, were playing with another Dust sphere. Ruby's job was to keep the sphere from breaking apart, while Weiss's was to break it. The test was designed to build stamina, Prof. Goodwitch had insisted. Ruby was so nervous that their sphere had broken on them twice. Both times, she had gotten sharp looks from both her partner and her teacher, and finally, Weiss called a stop.

"This is about what happened two days ago, isn't it." Weiss didn't sound mad; in fact, she sounded a little . . . embarrassed. "I . . . I'm sorry about that," Weiss said in a rush. Ruby stared at her in surprise. "I didn't mean to hurt you like that, and it was incredibly rude of me." Weiss wrung her hands together, looking genuinely nervous. "I'd like to apologize." Weiss nervously held one hand out, trying for a small, trembling smile. "Weiss Schnee." Ruby smiled at her, much brighter.

"Ruby Rose. It's nice to meet you."

"You too Ruby. Ready to start our project again?" Weiss asked. Ruby beamed at her newest friend, and Weiss breathed out a small sigh of relief.

"You bet!" After some silence, Ruby piped up again. "I really like your weapon. What's her name?"

* * *

Pyrrha sat with her partner as she sketched out her newest upgrade to Myrtenaster with a slightly unsteady hand.

"You're designing it?" Pyrrha said, a little surprised. Normally Weiss let her family do the work on her weapon. Weiss smiled sadly.

"I need to get away from them Pyrrha. I need to." Pyrrha nodded her understanding. She knew little of the details in her friend's personal life, Weiss being rather cagey by nature, but the young Amazon knew that if she learned the extent of their treatment, she would likely go into a full-blooded rage. So instead, she fetched a blue pencil of her own and began to put notes on the paper.

She was so proud of her little falcon.

* * *

So I got a review today. I'm answering it here, since it happens to be by an anonymous person.

**This has been very good so far. It's fun to see all the stuff you're coming up with, since it usually adds a lot to the character without drastly changing them or seeming impossible. I just have a couple of complaints.**

**First, the team names. NVWL is Pyrrha (N)ikos, Nora (V)alkyrie, (W)eiss Schnee, Yang Xiao (L)ong, but I don't get ABBR. Jaune (A)rc and Blake (B)elladonna are in there, and either Ruby (R)ose or Lie (R)en, but where did the second "B" come from.**

Oops. I didn't even notice that there were two B's in my title. Thanks for pointing that out. Just like Blake, B's have Ninja-level title-bombing skills.

**Second is that you've made the secondary team, to be frank, much more interesting than the main team. Weiss, Pyrrha, and Jaune are my favourite characters, and I was ecstatic when I saw that you paired up Weiss and Pyrrha. But since then, we've seen nothing from them, and your Jaune isn't as interesting as the show's. Like in so many other fanfics, he's just far too much in control of the situation, though you have justified it. Still, I don't care for him now.**

Your consideration of who is the most interesting is probably fairly spot on with most of the people who read this, so I'm going to concede the point, and I hope that this satisfies your Weiss and Pyrrha drought. Jaune isn't as capable as I make him, since most of this is actually Ren in the background, as well as the added responsibility of Ruby, who is a full two years younger than Jaune. If this was the original show, likely he'd already have been threatened by Yang. In the show, he shows that he's a bit of a dork and Ruby is obviously not interested. Now, Yang doesn't have a direct influence over her, and would thus be more protective. (Insert Yang's ball-crushing shovel speech here.) Also, they make a point in the show to say Jaune's grades have been slipping for a while. I assume the added stress made his grades slip.

**Last is that, as you said, your action scenes are crap. I had no clue what was going on in the forest, at all. Since the action is always the highlight of RWBY, you'll want to either work on that or find someone who can do it for you.**

I am working on that, but if anyone can direct me to a good place with tips, I will be eternally grateful.

Thanks for reading this, even if you aren't the one this is directed to, and feel free to place your complaints and requests in a review or private message. If you don't want me to reply in a chapter, tell me and I'll either PM you or put it up on my profile.


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks to those of you who reviewed, I'm incredibly grateful. There's going to be a fight scene in a later chapter, so, I'm crossing my fingers and hoping I'll have it out and decent.  
Also, the 'Uncle' being referred to is NOT Qrow. I repeat, NOT Qrow.

Carry on.

* * *

Jaune's grades were starting to slip, Ren noted. It appeared that his stress and secret-keeping was finally starting to get to him. So Ren took over the note-taking, allowing his leader rest in their shared classes and catching him up at the dorm room. Both Blake and Ruby, having noticed that Jaune was most certainly starting to backslide, also offered encouragement between classes, buoying his spirits and mental health with constant reminders that he was doing a great job managing them. Team NVWL, despite their own troubles with Weiss and Yang also helped out, though it might have been in part by Pyrrha's rather noticeable crush on the oblivious blond boy. Right now, they were putting their weapons away after a class on signaling teammates in a battle.

"Ooh, how about a secret signal, so nobody knows we're working together!" Nora, breaking Ren's train of thought, prattled excitedly to Weiss, who was dealing with her much the way Ren did; smile and nod. Nora zipped to Weiss's other side. "Can you imitate a sloth?" Nora asked Weiss. The girl sighed and closed her locker as Ren snickered. Ah, Nora.

"Nora?" Weiss said finally, not even bothering to look when her bubbly friend appeared suddenly on her left. Weiss was learning. He was so proud of her.

"Yes Weiss?" Nora asked happily. Weiss sheathed her weapon, standing and getting ready to leave.

"I don't think sloths make a lot of noise." Nora paused for a moment to digest that comment. Ren hid another grin behind his hand.

"That's why its _perfect!_ Nobody will suspect that we're working together!" Nora squealed, hovering in the air for a moment. Ren merely smirked at Weiss when the heiress glanced at him. _She's your problem now,_ Ren's smile informed her. Weiss grumbled and made a face at Ren, whose smirk widened slightly. "But not together together." Nora said, giggling nervously, skipping after her new friend. "Bye Ren!" Nora chirped, waving goodbye to him, even as Weiss rolled her eyes and walked faster. "Eek! Wait for meeee!" Light footsteps drew his attention to Jaune, who gave him a tired smile.

"Hey, ready to go?" Jaune asked quietly, his fingers hooked into his belt loops casually as he rocked back onto his heels. Ren chuckled and gently tipped him over. "Hey!" Jaune protested halfheartedly from the floor.

"You need to stand straight. Feet wider apart and lower to the ground," Ren deadpanned at him. "You asked for my help, so you'll get it all the time." Jaune huffed, blowing out a breath of air.

"Yeah yeah, wiseass," Jaune grumbled, before smiling and lifting a hand to take Ren's as he helped Jaune stand. Jaune drew upright, and blinked at Ren, lifting a hand to measure their heights. "You're shorter," Jaune remarked, his hand gently brushing over Ren's hair as the (now slightly shorter) male tried not to blush at how close they were. They were never this close outside of training, and during those times, he could ignore the fact that Jaune smelled nice, like freshly cut cinnamon, or that he made Ren hyperventilate.

_Denial was a _**great**_ place to vacation this time of year._

"Guys, Ruby's getting . . . Oh." Ren jumped away from Jaune almost instantly, though the blond himself looked a little baffled as to why. Blake smirked a little to herself as the two males scrambled to follow her. How cluelessly cute.

* * *

Ozpin directed the students into the large amphitheater.

"If you've been following the news," Ozpin remarked dryly, "Then all of you should be aware that recently, two facilities have been overrun by Grimm." The students burst into excited (and for some, worried) chatter. "Settle down please," Ozpin called out over the burst of students. "Since there have already been teams scouring through the facilities, we've decided instead of sending squads of students, we'll select four teams by lots and send them off separately to the two buildings."

"Anyone who thinks their team is capable of going should put in their team name and year in." Glynda said clearly, sending the students in an absolute frenzy. Jaune glanced over at his group, seeing their eager smiles and smug satisfaction.

_You guys want to go?_ Jaune almost said to them, before stopping himself. He loved his team; couldn't ask for a better one, really, but himself . . . He wasn't even supposed to be here, let alone leading a team. What if he dragged them down with him? One glance at Ren, who was laughing at something Blake had joked about decided it for him. Ren told him that a good leader trusted his instincts, and trusted his team. So Jaune thought about it, digging deep to look and really feel what he wanted, and he smiled slightly upon reaching his answer, glancing at his teammates.

"Alright, I'm going to put our team in," Jaune told them. As he slid around Ren, he caught the look that the ever-quiet teenager gave him. It was pride. He felt the paper Ren pushed into his hand, and gripped it tight, the moment broken as Jaune walked down the aisle, opening it up and reading it to himself. A grin made it's way onto his face as he stuffed the paper away.

_Congratulations. You don't need my help to lead anymore. _Jaune felt a bit like a dork with how large the smile on his face was, as he softly rubbed his skin where it had touched his best friend's and partner's. It felt pretty good to know that Ren thought he was a leader.

* * *

Yang huffed, wincing as she combed her hair out and yet another strand fell to the floor. Weiss was reading a book on the bed closest to the dresser, but she looked up when Yang whimpered. The heiress rolled her eyes, but stood up and made her way over. Yang gave her a bleary-eyed whimper.

"You're using the wrong brush." Weiss commented mildly, picking one up from the side. "You need a paddle brush for hair as curly as yours," Weiss explained, detangling the brush from Yang's hair. Weiss pulled out her own paddle brush, stroking the strands slowly to untangle the mess. Yang gave a soft sigh, feeling her already abused scalp relax at the gentle action.

"Thanks," Yang said warmly, grinning at Weiss through the mirror. Weiss's cheeks turned a little pink at the still surprising thanks. It was hard to forget that not everyone was her family.

* * *

"We didn't get picked," Jaune said quietly, as Pyrrha told her team the bad news. "Two third-year, a second-year, and a fourth-year team drew the lot instead," Jaune informed his mildly disappointed teammates. "But that just means we'll have to work harder, so next time we'll have a better chance to get out and about. How's that sound?" A hum of agreement from his team, and Jaune grinned, already picking up his family book.

* * *

"Guh!" Jaune tripped again, and his sword went clattering to the floor. Ren, practicing nearby, merely stopped and sighed. The girls had left long ago to research weapons upgrades for Gambol Shroud and Crescent Rose, but not before giggling at Jaune.

"What's wrong?" Ren asked finally, aware that his stubborn leader wouldn't say anything without being asked. Sitting up, Jaune blew out an exasperated breath.

"I'm trying to preform Spiral." Ren raised an eyebrow, but bent down to read the book lying open on that particular move-set. Ren's eyebrows inched up slightly on his forehead. There was no way this was a basic practice move. Hell, he didn't think anyone could perform this in the pattern and speed it demanded. Another clatter startled him into looking at his team leader, who was already back at it again, moving purposefully into each steady movement, the blond moving his feet in a slow half-circle as he ran through it at what could only qualify as 'really fucking slow'. Jaune tried it again, this time a little faster. Ren gave a small smile as he watched Jaune work at it. Well, almost anyone. Jaune stopped and eyed Ren.

"What?" Jaune asked, looking at himself. "Did I do something funky?" Jaune's question brought a smile to his lips. Only Jaune used such odd words in conversation.

"No, not at all." Ren said, smiling softly. The moment was broken by a soft cough near the door. Both Ren and Jaune turned to face the intruder, who so happened to be one amused Professor Ozpin.

"Professor!" Both boys scrambled to a sort of attention, drawing a small smile out of their stoic teacher.

"Hello boys," Ozpin greeted. "I didn't expect to see anyone out this late," He said thoughtfully, cane tapping the floor as he walked nearer. "You boys are lucky I'm on patrol tonight and not Miss Goodwitch. Be sure to hurry to bed before midnight." Both of them nodded hastily, and Ren caught sight of Jaune glancing at the book. Oh dear.

"Professor?" Jaune asked finally. "Could you help us?" Ozpin rocked back onto his metaphorical heels. That was a new one. He'd never had a student ask him personally for help. As proud as Ozpin was, he needed a good reason to take them under his wing.

"Not just you?" Ozpin's voice was mild, but still sharp enough to draw blood. Jaune rubbed the back of his head, looking incredibly sheepish.

"Well, I'm probably the worst off, but Ruby really could use someone other than me to confide in, and she rather frankly could use some guidance," Jaune ticked her off of his list. "Blake is a closet bibliophile and really, really could use someone to confide in, and Ren . . . Well, I'm not sure Ren needs too much help, but I'm taking time away from his training, and that's bad." The entire paragraph was punctuated with small waves of his arms and slightly over-exaggerated swishes that made Ren smile a little bit.

"I still have a lot to learn," Ren came to his leader's defense gently, smiling at Jaune. "We all just need a little help."

"Speak for yourself, I still trip down the stairs," Jaune said flatly. "I need all the help I can get." Ren couldn't help it.

"Pfft." Ren tried, he really did. But there he was, giggling almost manically at his team leader, who looked quite frankly offended. "I'm sorry," Ren giggled harder, completely forgetting that his teacher was watching him. Ozpin merely chuckled to himself as Jaune gave a quiet harrumph.

"I'll see what I can do." _It wouldn't do to show favoritism to them. Perhaps I should reinstated the old Mentor system . . . It'd get Glynda off my back, that's for sure. Hmm . . ._


	8. Chapter 8

I have a poll up on my profile. Please check it out!

* * *

"Ow," Jaune mumbled under his breath as he skidded back, his arm feeling the rather brutal hit of his opponent's blade despite his shield. An impassive Ozpin stood across from him, his sword extended out directly in front of him, before setting it down on the marble floor.

"Your timing of the application of your Aura is off," Ozpin scolded gently, tapping the tip of the blade on the floor in quick rhythm. "You draw the Aura in your body a little too late." A flash of dark green, and Jaune spiraled to his right, holding his shield ready and flaring his Aura again to counter his Mentor's strike. He skidded back another foot and a half, but was otherwise the painful throbbing in his arm was slowly going down.

"Better," Ozpin complimented, before disappearing again to strike at Jaune's unprotected right. A clash of steel on steel rang, Jaune having pulled his sword into position just barely on time, arms shaking. A thin red line welled up on his cheek however, a clear sign that Ozpin had worn him out. "That should be enough for today," Ozpin decided coolly. "You've gotten much better since we started." Ozpin complimented the team warmly, helping Jaune up. "You should all get some good rest tonight. Tomorrow I'll be announcing the official mentor program." Off in the sidelines, Ruby, Ren, and Blake all nodded, each one covered in bruises and hurting dearly from their own spar with the ever enigmatic headmaster.

* * *

"I. Love. Baths." Ren declared to Jaune as the pair soaked in one of the many hot tubs in the communal baths. "Good god, this is amazing." Jaune chuckled softly, used to his best friend's odd behavior, especially concerning comfort.

"It is," Jaune agreed, gently bumping shoulders with him. "You know," Jaune said mildly after a few minutes of comforting, delicious silence, "I can't help but feel that Ruby fell asleep in the bath." Ren laughed softly, able to imagine that very scene.

"She's probably making bubbles while she's snoring," Ren added, getting the pleasure of seeing his generally calm team leader laugh softly.

"How cute," Jaune agreed, giggling softly. "You know, I'm glad that you're my partner," Jaune said quietly, drawing Ren's attention to him at the odd change of subject. "I don't think I would have turned out so well."

"You always had the talent," Ren said firmly. "All you needed was guidance." Ren was damn sure that Jaune would be great one way or another, and fuck it all to hell, he wanted to be there when it happened.

"I guess so . . ." The soft swish of water, and Ren felt a soft pair of slightly chapped lips press gently to his cheek. "But I don't think anyone could do so as well as you did." Jaune pulled away, grabbing a towel. "I-I'll see you at the dorm," Jaune mumbled, blushing. Ren sat there, a hand to his cheek, blushing deeply.

"Oh good god," Ren murmured quietly, his face burning hotter and hotter as his mind processed that Jaune had actually kissed him. "I really am doomed," Ren whispered, sliding into the water. "Someone's found a way to kill me."

* * *

"Hey," Jaune said to him the next morning, his hands gently shaking Ren's shoulder to wake him up. "Ready for today?" Jaune asked, offering him a cup of hot coffee. Ren gave an intelligible moan of aggravation, and Jaune chuckled. "Yeah, I feel you," Jaune agreed, already off of Ren's bed and grabbing his sleepy partner's clothing. Jaune set it out on the hook next to him, smiling when Ren looked up sleepily from his cup.

"I got a call from Ozpin," Jaune explained to Ren, who hummed tiredly. "We've got to be in the front row this morning for assembly, so all the teams picked to have a mentor have to be up first." Ren nodded, almost dropping his cup into Jaune's open and waiting hand. He heard a dull thump, hearing Jaune's chuckle as Blake chastised Ruby on the other side.

They were thankfully early, but none of them were too happy about it. Jaune had wheedled them into the room with coffee and a specially prepared cake just for this occasion. Armed with cake, they all reluctantly made their way into the first rows. They were joined by Pyrrha's team, what appeared to be Velvet's team, and a smattering of other teams from the other years. The school was rather large, thanks to the temporary merge of one of the other schools that had suffered from an attack by the Witch. As the auditorium filled up, Jaune observed that everyone seemed to have blank faces.

"Ahem," Ozpin gently tapped the microphone. "I'm sorry for the early wakeup call, but today we have decided to implement an old tradition." A surprised murmur rippled through the crowd. "I'm sure you've been enjoying the new free class all of you have gotten, since some of you have slept through it." Nervous giggling rippled through them. "For some students, they will no longer be free classes. From today on, certain teams will be engaging in the Mentor program. The teachers have already selected their teams to mentor, and as such, we will call them out here." The students burst into activity, excited chatter washing over the room. "Quiet down while we call the teams and their mentor one at a time. Team RVEL, your Mentor shall be Thomas Thumb. Team MATT, your mentor shall be Amiee Angel." So the calling continued, until he reached Pyrrha's team. "Team NVWL, your Mentor will be Glynda Goodwitch." There was confused murmurs as the last team emptied. "And finally," Everyone burst into activity at realizing that _Ozpin_ himself was a Mentor. "Team ABRR shall be mentored by me." There was silence, before disbelieving screams and denials rang through the auditorium, mostly from the older years. The younger years think it well deserved, given their spectacular performance.

* * *

"Fucking bribed him, huh bitch?" One of the other teams mumbled at Jaune sourly as they walked down the hall to their first 'official' class with Ozpin. "Honestly, the nerve," Another sneered. The insults hurled at Jaune was fine; he'd gotten used to them. The insults at his team, however . . .

"Faunus whore," A boy muttered. Jaune was glad to note it wasn't Cardin or his team. A through 'talk' to the fanatically racist boy with Ren and himself had set him straight some time ago. Ren smirked dryly at Jaune, slamming the speaker into the wall with a well-placed, Aura-backed punch. Ozpin gives him a disapproving look at the violent display, but doesn't begrudge him his right to defend his teammates.

"Hey, no punching people," Jaune scolded Ren amusedly. "Let me be the one to get in trouble; you keep your perfect record." Ozpin's disappointment turns to amusement as he listens to the rest of the team whine and complain about how Jaune always gets to have the fun. The light camaraderie that the four display impress him, and it only gets more amusing over time. As Ruby pointed out that a sword and 'shielth' aren't as memorable as Crescent Rose, Jaune gave an answer that terrified him as much as it intrigued and amused him.

"I don't think they'd agree with you after I've castrated them." All of the chatter in the hallway silenced, from the threats to the mocking. Ozpin held his amused chuckles. He'd gotten an interesting team, to say the least.

* * *

Ruby was balancing on a rope, a bucket of water on her head. Thankfully, her teammates were in the same position. Jaune seemed to be having as much trouble as she was, and both Ren and Blake were much steadier than their (clumsier) partners.

"Today's official lessons shall be on balance, so no fighting today." Ozpin didn't say it, but Jaune's last strike had hit his shoulder dead on, and he was still recovering. "You must keep balance and coordination in all situations." Jaune muttered sourly under his breath where Ozpin could stick it. "Creative, but it doesn't work." Was the glib reply as Jaune blinked, blushed, and wobbled on his piece of rope. "While you four are practicing, I'll be going over your Aura lessons in here as well." All of them gave a small groan. Oh good god . . . "Don't look so horrified," Ozpin said in amusement. "It's not like it's dusty history or such," Ozpin chastised, amused. These kids were so much fun to torment.

* * *

"There are never more than four Witches and one Wizard per country, though recent years show that witchcraft is a dying art," Glynda said strictly, watching Yang stumble slightly on the large-gap wire netting. "They use nothing but their Aura and Dust to fight. There is one Witch for each of the Cardinal directions, and I am one of them. I am the Witch of the North. My specialty is ice. The Witch-" She didn't need to say more than that-"Is the Witch of the West. Her specialty is fire." A hand flung out to cut the netting, forcing Nora to bounce back, wincing. "Focus. Soon there won't be a way out," Glynda scolded. "Ozpin is the current Wizard of Vale, and widely considered the _best_ Wizard Vale has had for quite some time."

* * *

"As such, as my apprentices, you will have to show a better understanding and usage of Dust and Aura than even a fourth year." Ozpin sighed at the inevitable groans. There it was.

"We can't afford Dust," Jaune countered frankly. "The weekly stipend we get barely covers meal and drink." Well, that was a fair sight better than what he'd expected. He'd expected complaints about learning so much. He'd gotten lucky.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that. I'll be the one purchasing the Dust for our classes. I am well off enough that purchasing such things for my students will not cripple me." He takes in the surprised glances his way. "And Mr. Arc?" Jaune glances over. "I wouldn't worry over it. Your inheritance has been settled by your grandmother."

He actually does fall over for that one.


	9. Official Chapter 9 (1?)

ABRR and NVWL Official Chapter 9 (Part one of **?**)

_Thanks to those of you who pointed out the problems. There's at least three chapters and counting from the previous one._

_Lots of love,_  
_KJ_

* * *

"Can anyone tell me how to locate a Grimm without Aura?" Professor Hood asked dryly, as he looked at his (mostly) sleeping class. He heaved a small sigh as he reluctantly picked up his little foghorn. The few still awake students proceeded to panic and stuffed their ears with earplugs. Smart kids. He pressed the little button, releasing a blast of air that startled the sleeping brats awake. That was better. "Ahem." He repeated his earlier question, and the young blond who had taken detailed and precise notes raised a hand. "Yes Mr. . ." He trailed off meaningfully, and the blond smiled and answered.

"Jaune Arc," He answered as he lowered his hand. "You can locate a Grimm by listening to the natural life in the area." The students who had slept during his _fascinating_ lecture snickered at the blond. To his credit, he merely rolled his eyes.

"Spectacular." Their faces fell, and he muffled a laugh. Ah how he missed Beacon. First years were such _pretentious_ little bastards. "Indegnous species are naturally and understandably terrified by Grimm, despite the fact that they have existed for centuries. They will make as little noise as possible in fact, in an attempt to hide from them. Anyone else?" The bubbly pink-clad girl who had slept through his lecture raised her hand, yawning widely. Perhaps she had been paying attention to him after all.

"Temperature." She yawned, eliciting more snickers. His cool glare silenced most of them.

"Quiet." The room hushed instantly. Professor Hood was not the youngest Professor at Beacon just for his good looks. "Grimm are beings without a soul. Without one, Grimm are like a vortex, sucking in all the ambient Aura in an attempt to gain an Aura of their own. As they do so, they create 'Cold Spots', areas where the Aura has been so badly drained nothing will live. The DeathWeaver's Tundra, located near the equator, are populated by giant, spider-like Grimm. They've existed there for so long, that no human dares go there without skin protection of the highest caliber." Lean arms crossed, and he glanced at Ozpin's prodigy student. "Ruby Rose."

"Claw or paw marks." None of them snickered this time. They're clearly learning.

"Another good answer. Grimm, despite their souless state and hive-mind mentality, are very much singularly sentient. Older Grimm eventually gain higher sentience, and leave marks to warn off lesser, younger Grimm. Anyone else?" After a moment of silence, the Schnee heiress raised her hand nervously.

"Raw Dust deposits?" Her voice is raised slightly in the end, and he beams at her. She's brave, attending against the will of her family.

"Excellent. The strongest and oldest Grimm often bolster their skills by eating raw Dust. Avia Nox and Avia Fuego are two such examples. They start as plain Avia, but over time, the Dust that they consume gives them an elemental affinity." He paused, long legs sweeping over the floor, bringing the man to his desk. "Can anyone tell me why we are having this discussion here, when it is normally discussed in the typical Battle Class Professor Port teaches?" There's absolute silence, before Cardin Winchester, a recently 'redeemed' student, raised his hand. "Yes?"

"Because they apply to finding people just as often?" His voice is also questioning, but he's correct. He gave the boy a broad smile. Despite previous experience that Winchester was trouble, he'd cleaned up remarkably in the classroom.

"Exactly. There are many people who elicit much the same reaction and behavior of Grimm. Some are Faunus, but the vast majority is human." He tapped a finger to his board, displaying a short list. "This list is a comprehensive collection of what works on both Grimm and people. Can anyone think of something else that qualifies? How about you Mr. Arc?" To his eternal credit, the blond doesn't even look like he'd been scribbling notes to his partner.

"Bait or a pointy stick," Jaune answered bluntly, receiving a smattering of laughter and appreciative applause. He laughed softly himself; it was quick and honest. The paper had vanished sometime between his answer and the laughter. He briefly admired the sneakiness.

No wonder Ozpin was so fond of him.

"Absolute tried and true," He agreed cheerfully, before returning to business. "Bait, Combat, and Traps are the three broad categories of engaging the enemy, but for the physically weak, traps are the best available method." He pulled up another list on his glass viewing screen. Tapping it once, the image of a slipknot appeared. "Take the common slipknot for example." Deft fingers procured a thin length of rope, before neatly pulling a slipknot together. "It is excellent for capturing food or cumbersome, unprofitable prey, but is useless in regards to prey of worth or that has specific requirements. This is a kill knot, as you can tell.

Take the common Beowolf or its silver cousin the Grendel. Their body dissolves on death, but properly killed, their fur is prized for bulletproof coats and ancient medicinal remedies." He made a few more, laying them out on the desk. "These knots look simple and useless on their own, but each one is in fact quick and simple ways of taking the enemy down." He picked up a sheaf of papers, setting them on the edge of his desk. "Your homework for the day is to research the history of five of these knots and explain their uses outside of hunting Grimm." Right on cue, the bell rang, his sleepy students standing and filing out, taking a sheet of paper with them.

* * *

"Wow," Ruby remarked as they entered their Mentor's comfortably furnished room. "This is nice." Ozpin chuckled quietly, fluffing her hair with a touch of amusement.

"I do enjoy my comfort," Ozpin agreed with her, gesturing for them to take a seat. Jaune flopped into the squishiest armchair that wasn't Ozpin's own, while Ren, Ruby, and Blake took the couch. "As my students, you'll be dealing with a lot of paperwork." The groans are like music to him, as he snickered. "Jaune, you've never dealt with inheritance before, so you and I will be working on that after your teammates leave. You three need to fill out this."

_~8~8~_

"These are official apprenticeship files for students directly under the Head and Vice Head of Beacon," Glynda said crisply, handing them their respective papers. "This gives you certain privileges that other students do not."

_~8~8~_

"As the apprentices of the Headmaster _and_ Wizard of Vale, you have more privileges than your predecessors. For example, as apprentices to the Wizard of Vale, you would be allowed to make arrests under the Martial Law Act of 1209 AG."

_~8~8~_

"Not to mention, you can also be called to teach a class as a substitute teacher, should the need arise for me to leave Beacon." Glynda added to their amazement. "It's a daunting responsibility."

_~8~8~_

"This position has been abused in the past," Ozpin admitted with a wince. "As such, we have placed limitations on it." He explained patiently as they sifted their way past legalese. "Martial Law can only be imposed during times of war, siege, or when students have committed murder or other illegal acts upon each other."

_~8~8~_

"It was decided as a precautionary measure that only the Heads of the school could appoint teams to perform this responsibility. Ozpin has decided that your team, as well as his own, is the best possible alternatives, due to the fact that Miss Xiao Long and Miss Rose happen to be the daughters of a policeman." She flipped through her stacks of papwer with ease. "I'll file these and you three may leave to do your homework. Miss Xiao Long, stay behind for a moment."

_~8~8~_

"Since your father is head of the Police department," Ozpin said quietly to Ruby as she stood there, "You'll also be sharing Liaison status with your sister. This responsibility is very dangerous, as you represent all of Vale in your behavior, mannerisms, and skill. When the Vytal Tournament arrives, you must be careful. Any attack from a student not official towards out outside of the sanctioned battles could be considered an act of war on Beacon." He gave a soft laugh, and Ruby's face turned pink.

* * *

After the blessedly short mentor session, Yang returned to her dorm room, staring blankly at her first and only oddity of the day (She had long since filed Nora as _Normal_)

"Neyuu . . ." Nora whined, flailing helplessly in her own net. Weiss was howling with laughter as she buried her head in her pillow, and Pyrrha was hiding a grin. "Weiss! Yang! Pyrrha! Save MEEEE!" She wailed again, arms flailing. Weiss only laughed harder, clutching the pillow to her chest as she half died from amusement. Pyrrha finally managed to get herself under control, and she freed the poor girl, and she burbled happily, hugging Pyrrha tightly. "My savior!" Nora squealed, hugging her tightly, before instantly transferring affections to Weiss, who flinched in surprise before reluctantly returning the hug. Privately, Yang noticed how sad it was that Weiss was so fearful of human contact.

"What were you doing there in the first place?" Weiss started to giggle again, as she allowed Nora to cling to her like a tiny monkey.

"She was researching Andromeda's Net," Weiss giggled, watching Pyrrha fold the completed net into a small square. "And then she came across a website on how to make it." Another giggle. "You two saw what happened next." Yang grinned at Weiss, before it became something softer. After Weiss's reluctant confession, Yang had begun to see Weiss as an invaluable ally and friend. That in mind, she answered Weiss in the most amusing way possible.

"Only Nora would get stuck in one of those," Yang agreed sagely. Nora's head snapped up, teal eyes wide and wounded, a pout forming on her face.

"Neyuu . . ." Nora wailed to Weiss, who started laughing again. "Weiss! Yang's being mean again!" Pyrrha laughed honestly at that, getting up to put the net away in her locker.

* * *

Cardin was studying again, Lark noticed with a faint, rueful sigh, folding up the day's depressing news. Another girl raped in town, Lark thought, disgusted with himself. Had it been before Jaune's little 'lecture', he might have enjoyed the thought of another Faunus dead, but after his experiences here with multiple non-White Fang members (And Jaune's subsequent, extremely heartless lecture that had arose after they had briefly harassed Blake that still made him shiver in cold fear), it only succeeded in making him feel sick to his stomach. Good god, he was so stupid, vendetta against the White Fang or not. Nearby, Dove snickers at Cardin.

"Still at it?" Dove asked jokingly, laughing again as Cardin flipped him off. Lark eyed Dove a touch skeptically, before he glanced at Russel, who was ignoring them all. Something about this sight niggled the wrong way.

"Fuck off Dove." Carding said to him crossly. "At least my grades are decent." Dove shrugged at that carelessly, so different to how he'd been at Flare.

"Eh, my dad'll pay to have me pass." Both Cardin and Lark share a skeptical look at one another, before giving him a blank stare. Riiight. And a Boarbatusk could fly without wings.

"That seriously isn't going to fly with Professor Ozpin," Lark deadpanned, more out of amusement than anything else. "This school has enough liquid Lien to make the Schnee Dust Company jealous." Dove made faces at them, only to quail under the combined glares of his two comrades.

"Alright, fine, fine," Dove grumbled, cracking open a book at Cardin's glare. Russel, who'd stayed quiet until now, got up at the sound of an unfamiliar ringtone. Lark tilted his head. It sounded familiar, but for the life of him he couldn't recall _why_.

"I'm heading out," Russel said brightly, grinning widely. He's met with blank stares, even from Dove.

"At this hour? Do you want to get caught by Goodwitch?" Cardin's voice is incredulous. Russel holds his hands up, still grinning.

"It's the only time I get to meet my girl, sheesh. Besides, I'm getting laid tonight!" Russel replied with a laugh and grin. "Besides, she won't see me."

"She better not," Cardin said with a faint sigh. "She finds you; you're suffering whatever detention you get alone." After Russel left, Cardin leaned in, whispering to Lark. "Does he _have_ a girlfriend?" Lark frowned.

"I don't think so." Lark answered.

* * *

_**AN: So, this was a B*tch to write. Second, I have some responses to be put here.**_  
_**Music909: I have no schedule due to my broken laptop. I will update when I can, and I'm sorry I can't offer anything more concrete.**_

_**Centerpoint108: Thank you for your praise, however, this is not a Ruby/Blake pairing. I am not against it, but Ruby is already by this point crushing on someone else, and Blake was (in my story) a very good friend with Adam. My apologies.**_

_**For Guest and Facepalm, my reply has been moved to my Profile page.**_


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